A Labor Of Love
March 27, 2025 by Rachael Sales
Filed under Christian Life, Family Focus
By Rachael Sales
As the mother of eight children, six of which I naturally birthed, I am always interested in hearing the testimonies from the birthing room experience. As an avid supporter and participant of supernatural childbirthing, it never ceases to amaze me how God births life in and through the very creation that He birthed and that He paid the price on Calvary for it to be a glorious experience. There is nothing more beautiful (after experiencing new birth in Christ) than watching a child take its first breath on this side of it all. For this reason, I count it a privilege and a joy to gather the stories of wives and mothers, and provide a platform for them to be heard. Amidst the piles of laundry, the late night feedings and the little bumps and bruises, their voices cry out declaring that God is both able and willing to keep. Consider the following snippet of the labor room experience from wife and mother Kimberly Van Johnson:
When it actually came time to birth, our daughter came two weeks early. I started out contracting at home and later that evening went to the doctor. They sent me back home saying that I had dilated four to five centimeters. The contractions continued to come once I was home. One of the most beautiful things about that time was that my mother and mother-in- law were both there with me. I slept between both of them. Between contractions I’d just turn over and rest between them. One was on each side of me and my husband was kind of over all of us.
How many women are in a position to have such a healthy relationship with their natural moms that they can walk them through the labor process? And beyond that, which is rare in and of itself, how many are blessed to have such intimacy with a mother- in- law that she can be on the other side of her during labor. And even further than that how many have mothers and mother- in- laws on such one accord, that they can share such a space without the push or pull for authority, and still have the husband there standing in his position as head of household? Now that is blessed!
When I think back on it, I have to say that I’ve always been blessed with an awesome family. You see, my mom had had seven girls. So I always knew that I would make it as a wife and a mother. In my mind I knew that if she could do it, I could too. She was my best friend. I had a good rapport with her and my mother- in- law. So in the birthing room, I didn’t care who was there and who saw. Both moms were there from the beginning, and later through the delivery my five sisters came with eyes full of tears. I had a vaginal birth with an epidural around the 24th hour. Although I was a little nervous of them paralyzing me my fear was gone from having my husband and the matriarchs of both families there. Soon after this, Little Miss Sierra was born as the first of all the grandchildren. So all eyes were on her. In going through that I never once felt the need to curse my husband out or anything. As much as it required of me at the time, I knew that I was the one anointed to bear the calling to birth. Even now I have no regrets. I thank the Lord for this gift called life and trusting me to be a part of it all.
This article was an excerpt from my forthcoming book, Birthing Nations
Submitted by Rachael Sales,
Wife, Mother, Educator, and Author
